Sino-Thai Relations in Historical Perspective: The Implications for Contemporary Organizational Management

This paper, by Sirirat Ngamsang and myself, has been accepted for publication at the forthcoming ICGBE Conference to be held in Bangkok in June this year.

Abstract:

Thailand and China have had a relationship for many centuries, initially as a result of Siam (now Thailand) joining the tributary system that permitted participation in the designated Chinese markets. The relationship has also taken place at an individual level as the result of untold thousands of Chinese migrants who have travelled to the south in search of a better life. On various occasions in history, the presence of Chinese migrants has provoked a discourse of conflict, in which the migrants were considered to present a ‘problem’ and, infamously, ‘the Jews of the East.’ National relations were halted during the Japanese invasion of China and then the Civil War that led to the Communist Revolution. Thailand’s presence in the American-led capitalist world prevented formal communications and this remained the case until the normalization of relations after the Open Door Policy was announced. During that period, many Chinese migrants and their family members were suspected of collusion with a potential Communist insurgency in Thailand and this encourage further integration into Thai society while, also, inhibiting the creation of a political party aiming to represent ethnic Chinese interests. Normalization of relations has been followed by rapid increase in trade and investment on a bilateral basis and the signing of various international agreements have deepened and broadened the forms of cooperation that have been possible. Chinese corporations have been accompanied by Confucius Institutes, which are non-governmental organizations promoting Chinese language teaching and cultural exchange. This paper explores the changing nature of Sino-Thai relations through history and uses this analysis to discuss the implications for organizational management in the present.

Keywords: China, historical relations, migration, organizational management, Thailand

Review of B.L. Brown’s Halo-Orangees Published at Bookideas

Halo-Orangees is an acronym standing for Helping Advocate Longevity of Organizations by Obtaining Objectives through Redefining Above-Board New Generational Guidelines for Employer Employee Standards. It is intended, it seems, as a combination of self-help book for employees and a recommended means of action for employers.

Read the full review here.

What Is a Case Study?

A case study is a method of studying phenomena, particularly complex phenomena in the world of society and the social  sciences which can only rarely be modeled accurately by quantitative  means. The purpose of the case study is, therefore, to investigate  through the lens of a single unit the impact of larger changes and effects.

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Business Research Methods: Hypothesis Formation

In business research, progress is made by testing hypotheses and, specifically, in the form of null hypotheses. What, then, is a hypothesis? In formal terms, it is the suggestion that there is a relationship between two variables. The relationship is not specified and could take one or more than one of a number of different forms.

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Entrepreneurship: Franchising

Franchising is of course not an entrepreneurial activity in itself (unless the entrepreneur acts as the franchisor) but a stint working as a franchisee can be of benefit to some people starting out in an entrepreneurial career.

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Entrepreneurship: Industrial Markets

When most new entrepreneurs start their career, they tend to look for opportunities in markets that are familiar to them – and for most young people in particular, that means the type of consumer goods markets in which young people are prominent as models and salespeople as well as customers.

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Entrepreneurship: Organizational Design

As I have stressed a number of times during this series of articles about entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs are properly interested in obtaining profits from a particular business opportunity and then selling the business as a going concern (before it all goes wrong!).

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The Business Model: Demographic Change

As I wrote in previous articles, the management guru Peter Drucker nominated demographic change as one of the main sources of environmental change that can lead to new opportunities for entrepreneurs. In what ways, exactly, might this happen?

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The Business Model: Introduction

A business model is the means by which a company establishes its stream of revenue from customers. It may take many forms, from the very simple to the very complex. In management discourse, the business model is considered to be the means by which organizations create, distribute and capture value.

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International Business: Joint Ventures

I remember well one of my early respondents in the research I was doing for my doctorate telling me that a joint venture was like a marriage and that the most important things is to ‘know how you can get out of it before you go into it.’

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